Doug's #7 Pizza Crust
When I was in college, I had a hobby where I was developing and trying out different pizza recipes, some quite gourmet. My first one, "Doug's #1" was a disaster. The next three were OK, but I don't really use them. But, I did eventually develop about 5 recipes that I like, including a deep dish one.
"Doug's #7" is my favorite. It has medium and doughy crust with a very yeasty flavor and some sharpness brought on by the beer.
If you are not that familiar with cooking, this might seem like a nightmare. It is not entry-level.
Yeast mix
* 3 packs of yeast
* 1/4 cup of 105 F water
* a Tablepoon of flour
* pinch of sugar
Mix together and let sit for about 10 minutes ... you will notice it is frothy after 10 minutes.
* Yeast mix
* Tablespoon honey
* Tablespoon olive oil
* about a 6 to 8 ounces of flavorful beer (I like to use Grolsch)
* 1/4 cup water
* 1/4 cup wheat flour
* Knead in white flour or semolina flour (typically about 2-3 cups) until the crust is bouncy and doesn't stick to your hands. Keep kneading for about 2-3 minutes.
Cover with a thin, wet towel and let sit for about 45 minutes or until it doubles in size. Typically, I cook the crust for 4 minutes on 550 F, then spray it with olive oil (to keep the tomato sauce from making the crust soggy). After that, put on whatever toppings and sauce you typically like and put it back in the oven for about 4 more minutes.